When I signed my publishing contract with Fremantle Press last year, my partner immediately started joking about resigning from work – to wave celebratory pompoms at my book events and writers’ fests, soothe my perpetually poetically-furrowed brow, and make sure my favourite brand of poetry-inspiring beverage is always close to hand.
Show me the money satisfaction
But let’s not give up our day jobs. Studies show that Australian poets can expect to earn a ‘very modest’ income from our creative work (averaging $5,700 per year in 2020/21 – the lowest of all types of authors, though that’s not saying much).
Clearly, we don’t get into writing for the money. We do it because we have to, because we love it, because it’s how we think or communicate or make sense of the world. Sometimes, it can also help other dreams come true – like finding a tribe or an audience, sharing and developing our ideas, or seeing our words come to life on the page, stage or screen.
Read more on the Fremantle Press blog.
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LARSEN | KEYS 